HP's new thin-and-light tablet

We have a love/hate relationship with tablet PCs. On one hand, we dig the swiveling displays and touch screens, even if we rarely find a chance to use them. On the other hand, adding convertible tablet functionality to a laptop often means adding size and weight, while knocking components down a notch or two.

HP is one of the few PC makers that can design smart-looking tablets (such as the consumer friendly tx1000). New today is the HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC, a 12-inch widescreen tablet that weighs in at 3.6 pounds and is only 1.1 inches thick. HP smartly adds a LED Backlit display, which helps with battery life and weight, plus Intel's Ultra Low voltage Core 2 Duo CPUs. Looks like the standard HP digitizer screen and stylus are included, which makes this a thin, lightweight package worth checking out.

There are five pre-configured models available, starting at $1,649 and going up to $2,478 for a bigger hard drive, slightly faster processor and a second GB of RAM. We have one of these on order, so check back soon for a full review.